As part of net magazine's 20th birthday celebrations, we've been asking the great and the good for their thoughts on the last two decades in web design. Here's what Debenham had to say – and to hear from industry leaders such as Jeffrey Zeldman, Eric Meyer and John Allsopp, don't miss the special anniversary issue of net magazine, on sale now!
What were you doing 20 years ago when net magazine launched?
I was four, so probably still shoving Lego bricks up my nose. I'd just started primary school, and there was one computer shared by all the junior classes. It didn't do a lot but it was always a very special treat to be allowed to use it.
What have been the landmark changes for you over the last 20 years?
The introduction of faster mobile networks and affordable data plans has had a huge impact on the reach of the web. It's turned the web from something that was restricted to a desktop screen to something we can carry round in our pockets. It’s exciting to see how that has shaped culture, journalism and politics.
What's the best things web design has brought the world?
Independence. I can go out and not worry about getting lost, because I can bring up a map wherever I am. I can do my work from wherever I choose. I can study for a degree without setting foot in a university campus. I can even have a conversation (albeit not a very intelligable one) with someone in a language I don’t speak a word of. And when I hear people with disabilities talk about what the web has enabled for them, it’s truly incredible.
Has it all been improvements, or is there anything we've lost along the way?
Although we have faster internet speeds than 20 years ago, many networks are still pretty slow. Page weight is creeping up every year, and I think we’ve forgotten a lot of optimisation skills that are actually just as relevant today as they were then.
What do you hope the web will look like 20 years from now?
It’s so great that governments are moving a lot of what they do to the web and making their processes more open, but I’d like to see it be done in a way that more people can contribute. Sites like GitHub are great tools for contribution, but they’re restricted to technologists. Even Wikipedia is intimidating for non-techies to contribute to.
To be truly collaborative, we need to make these tools much easier to use for the general public. Maybe in 20 years time, we can use them to help draft legislation, and write curriculums that are updated by industry professionals to stay relevant over time.
We also still have a long way to go in terms of delivering internet access worldwide, and that’s a massive problem. We need to find more ways to give people that access so they’re not cut off from developing. In 20 years, I hope that everyone will have access to an internet connection.
Tom May is an award-winning journalist and author specialising in design, photography and technology. His latest book, The 50th Greatest Designers, was released in June 2025. He's also author of the Amazon #1 bestseller Great TED Talks: Creativity, published by Pavilion Books, Tom was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine.
